2. Desire

"Are you serious, Sir?! B-but-?"

I gasped, swallowing hard as I looked at Arthur; he looked fresh in his kimono towel. His wet, tangled hair made my heart race. I could still feel Arthur's head resting on my chest, stealing the sound of my heartbeat.

"We'll be docking in an hour," he said as he walked closer and took Baby Leon's hand. The attentive gesture was hilarious to see because Arthur wasn't the type of man with a soft face.

"The best dress is already prepared in my cabin. Your role as Grand-Lady is quite complicated. You'll be greeted by hundreds of reporters. They'll ask you about my personal life, why you're in the public eye, and crazy things about Leon," she added.

"About Leon?" My breathing became heavy. Of all the things about her personal life, the issue of Baby Leon was the most sensitive.

First, Arthur is not Leon's biological father.

Second, Theresa, Leon's biological mother, wasn't a good mother either. She was insane, repeatedly using her baby to blackmail Arthur. What I heard was even worse. If she were on a ship, Theresa would throw her baby into the open sea to get whatever she wanted.

Luckily, Arthur's wife's position was never made public. But now, Theresa is threatening Arthur to reveal Baby Leon's identity to take him over. Of course, not to care for him; Arthur knows she would abandon him. All Theresa wants is money, money, and more money. However, she refuses to fulfill her duties as Grand-Lady, for whatever reason I don't yet know.

"Nina." Honestly, every time Arthur said my name, I immediately froze.

"Ah, yes, fine, Sir."

I hurriedly jogged, passing through the ship's corridor decorated with dim lights, and headed towards the main cabin.

Five minutes passed, and I transformed myself into a different person. I stood in front of the mirror, gazing at the bright red dress that hugged my curves. Beautiful.

Has this been my body shape all along? I waved my split leg, exposing my bruised thigh. Did Arthur see it last night? My smile faded. If I'd known this extraordinary day would come, I should have taken better care of my body.

My thoughts were once again so preoccupied that I didn't even notice someone touching my foot. A silly scream erupted as my foot tangled around the other, losing my balance. I thought bad luck would trip me up as usual. I'd fall over, ruin my dress, or even break my own spine.

It turned out that Arthur's strong embrace had thwarted the terrible fate. A handsome figure that almost felt unreal. From a sharp-eyed boss, he now intruded into the plot of my life. One night that changed everything.

"Strong legs still need support," Arthur said, picking me up and sitting me on the edge of the bed. "Once we get down, don't ever let go of my hand."

Arthur knelt down without hesitation, examining the skin on my thighs closely. I ducked my head, trying to hide the blush, one of my worst weaknesses.

"Also, don't dwell on trivial matters," Arthur ordered, digging through his jacket pockets.

My eyebrows reflexively rose as I watched Arthur rip off the flesh-colored band-aid. Oh, good. He probably had a first aid kit attached to him at all times, just in case Leon got hurt. But this time, he did it for me. Arthur covered several scars and bruises from my thighs to my legs. The icy wall in my heart instantly crumbled at the small gesture. Oh, I suddenly felt a hint of sarcasm. It hadn't even been five minutes since Arthur had gently reprimanded me.

"It's not really a big deal, but I'm afraid it'll still bother you when you get off," Arthur chimed in. His flat words still felt poignant.

"Thank you, Sir. What about Baby Leon? Who will take him?"

"Secretary John had a new nanny ready as soon as she arrived," he said.

"Is he going to replace me full-time?" I reflexively frowned in panic.

"Why?" Arthur asked hoarsely, a sign that his health might be failing. Arthur got up and sat down beside her. "You don't want to be fired. On the contrary, I gave you a promotion, but you're also reluctant to leave your Nanny position."

I'd rather not be too demanding or troublesome. However, I also hate holding onto lingering feelings of unease.

"Y-yes." My fingers curled into a tight fist, forcing myself to look up steadily. "Sir, I'm capable of taking on both roles. Outside of Grand Lady activities, may I continue to be Leon's nanny? It doesn't feel right to give up just because I found a better opportunity. After all, I want to continue caring for him."

"Hm... three months of working with me, I didn't expect you to have so many surprises. But, one thing I'm sure of about you." Arthur leaned in, and I instinctively turned my head. However, he'd narrowed the distance to just a heartbeat away. Our gazes locked, sparking one of my favorite moments.

"You are a brave girl that Leon will rely on in the future," he added.

"Isn't it because you need me to fight Theresa?"

Arthur smiled, laughing once. "You're smart too."

"Why are you pessimistic about losing to a woman?"

Arthur's smile slowly faded. "You can't underestimate anything or anyone."

"Oh, my bad, sorry."

Arthur shook his head faintly. "Theresa's position is strong as Leon's biological mother. She also has a thousand cunning tricks up her sleeve. Besides—"

Arthur's breath hitched. He crossed his legs and intertwined his fingers on his thighs. "My stepmother intends to arrange a marriage for me when she arrives," he said, clearing his throat in embarrassment.

"What???"

The air made my cheeks puff out as I spontaneously stopped breathing, holding back laughter. Young people these days often call it "Aura Loss." 27 years old. Arthur was still too young to be a father, but he was also too old to be matched. It didn't mean his calm aura had diminished; I felt like I was seeing a funny, adorable side of him.

Realizing I was the only one reacting, I quickly cleared my throat. Arthur, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes with a faint smile.

"That's absolutely outrageous!" I exclaimed. "It's perfectly understandable that you're desperate, Sir. At an early age, I ran away because of debt. Nothing could be more embarrassing than that! Huh… luckily, a good friend told me about a job opening on my cruise ship. Her name is Clara! I hope to see her again."

Wow, that's the longest thing I've ever said to my boss. "Ah, sorry, Sir. I shouldn't have been so impudent-"

Arthur touched one of my cheeks, a sudden, freezing attack of handsomeness.

"You are my companion now," Arthur whispered. "We will often face passionate lessons. Erase the word impudence from your life and mine. Understand?"

I pursed my lips for a moment, nodding like a puppy. Arthur's pupils dipped, locking onto mine. The connection between us grew stronger. We exchanged passionate kisses again, just as he'd said. We slid into a more passionate and determined kiss.

The atmosphere turned 180 degrees a few minutes after the passionate kiss ended. Everything was so sudden. Several men in suits and sunglasses trooped into the cabin. Also, about three women in buns, white shirts, shorts, flowing black skirts, and aprons. Thanks to their premium service, my sensational red lip makeup looked flawless. My brown hair also had a few extensions attached, straightened by a hair straightener. Pearl clips held back both sides of my bangs.

Arthur and I took a short road trip that felt like floating. We got out of the shiny black, ultra-luxury hypercar, and Arthur took my hand. Hundreds of reporters swarmed us like bees. Their voices competed with the camera shutters. The barrage of flashes of light made my eyes sting. Arthur pushed himself forward a little, shifting his shoulder to shield my view. Thankfully, my height, which was only up to his chest, came in handy.

"Mr. Arthur, who is this beautiful woman you brought?"

"Is she really your wife?"

"Why are you just publishing it now?"

"Do you mean to deny the divorce rumors?"

"A netizen claimed you weren't Leon Moric's biological father on an online forum! Did you find out? Are you going to press charges?"

"Is your agenda for visiting really to participate in direct training?"

My questioning glance spontaneously pierced Arthur.

Training?

Doesn't being a Grand-Lady mean helping with the training?

What does it mean to participate?

Precisely what will we be doing in academy training???